Waste Management Culture and Hygiene Awareness in the Royal Belum Orang Asli Community: Needs Analysis and Community Education for Sustainable Development
University Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) had launched an initiative on spreading awareness on hygiene and waste management at Kampung Kelawang, recognizing the heavy reliance of the Royal Belum State Park as the world’s oldest rainforest on the sustainable living practices of its inhabitants. In collaboration with Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Perak (PKNP) and Taman Negeri Perak (PTNPk) to establish a comprehensive model for ecological preservation and social well-being, the project directly engaged with 175 participants with support from 27 UTP student facilitators and research scientists.
By using a performance and storytelling framework, the concept of hygiene and waste management was more relatable and memorable for the local community following a four-stage process to ensure higher knowledge retention across all ages, especially the children: needs assessment, customized education, community implementation, and impact evaluation.
Other than awareness, in-kind contributions from PKNP and PTNPk including boat rentals, fuel, conservation fees, and entrance permits, add to the internal funds by UTP, RM 8,092.55, driving the initiatives beyond theory to exposure to the right tools to manage the waste in the village with waste and compost bins as development upon existing habits.
Through the Training of Trainers (ToT) model, the capacity building was manageable for the academic experts to encode complex sustainability goals for a diverse population. This project also had laid the foundation of a strong bond with the community, as the waste management is seen as a collective effort to address the gap in water and sanitation systems in the Royal Belum State Park. UTP is protecting the biodiversity of Malaysia’s most vital natural assets by driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
Project leader: Dr Rohani Salleh (rohanisalleh@utp.edu.my)
